‘Playing at Old Trafford for the first time as an opponent was a big moment for me’: Tielemans

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Manchester United new midfielder Youri Tielemans believes the atmosphere at Old Trafford is one of the special experiences in football, recalling the impact of playing at the iconic stadium for the first time as an opponent when he was part of Aston Villa.

In July, The midfielder signed a contract with Manchester United until June 2031. Last season, he registered seven assists for Aston Villa and helped his club to win the UEFA Europa League, scoring the opening goal in the final against SC Freiburg.

“Manchester United is a massive club. Playing at Old Trafford for the first time as an opponent was a big moment for me. I had never seen a stadium that big in my life. The atmosphere, the crowd, everything about it was amazing. It’s the kind of place every footballer dreams of playing in,” he told Jio Hotstar.

The Belgium international is now preparing to experience that atmosphere as a Manchester United player, with the club looking to build momentum after a mixed start to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.

United have collected four points from their opening four league matches, beating Ipswich Town 5-2 after losing to Hull City, before drawing with Everton and suffering a 0-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Manchester derby.

Tielemans believes United have the ambition and quality to challenge for major honours and sees his move as an opportunity to take the next step in his career.

“There is a lot of ambition inside this club, and a lot of quality. This is a good step for me to push on and hopefully win many titles here,” he said.

The midfielder is also looking forward to working with Michael Carrick, who was a former England and Manchester United midfielder and is now in charge of the club.

“Carrick was a midfielder, and that’s a huge advantage for me because he can give me a lot of tips, and I can learn from him inside his structure, so I’m really looking forward to learning from him and, obviously, to linking up with my teammates,” he said.

Tielemans also feels his experience can help United’s younger players as they continue their development.

“When you grow up as a young kid, you look up to those senior players. You try to copy what they do in the changing room and in the gym and how they prepare to be the best. That example stays with you,” he said.

“So hopefully I can be that example for the young guys coming through here. I want to show them the right way to train, look after themselves, and handle the pressure,” he added.

–IANS

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